Jamie Oliver Canberra’s most borrowed in 2011

Territory And Municipal Services have announced the most popular books in the Library system last year:

The most requested books in 2011 were: Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver, The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal, All That I Am by Anna Funder, Sideshow: Dumbing Down Democracy by Lindsay Tanner, Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks and Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson.

The most requested DVDs in 2011 were: Valentine’s Day, Salt, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: The complete first season, and The King’s Speech.

The most borrowed books over the last eight years are Mills and Boon titles, Grandpa and Thomas by Pamela Allen, The Turning by Tim Winton, Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest), Hunwick’s Egg by Mem Fox, Daisy All-Sorts by Pamela Allen, Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek, and Be Gentle by Virginia Miller.

The most borrowed DVDs over the last eight years are Lost: The Complete First Season, The Persuaders Collection 2, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Stargate SG 1 Season 2, and The Day After Tomorrow.

Oliver’s recipes aren’t bad, at all. They work well, and my cookbook test (do you drool a bit while reading it?) is always passed. Funny borrowing a cookbook though, it’s the kind of thing you want to hand at any time surely?

His recipe for Swedish meatballs reduced my love of Ikea meatballs to a strong liking. His are better.

What? No poetry? Now there’s a surprise! (Insert sarcastic emoticon wearing a beret.)

Mills and Boon and Jamie Oliver: 30 minute nausea.

You know those public art sculptures etc commissioned by the ACT Govt that are (almost) universally despised by the Canberra public?
Well, when compared to poetry, they are elevated to the level of a new hospital wing, in terms of usefulness, in the eyes of the average Canberran! Hahahahaha!

I’m a little surprised that people would bother borrowing a cook book – I’ve never failed to find any recipe online after a quick google search. Jamie Oliver has over 700 recipes available for free on his own website!

Jamie Oliver’s book was the best selling book in Australia last year, so no wonder it is borrowed a lot. De Waal, Funder and Brooks were also in the top 10 or so; but I think Tanner is far more popular here than anywhere else

Dont most people buy cookbooks, admire the recipies, drool over them and think about how impressive they will be, then cook spag bol? So borrowing rather than buying is much more sensible.